Ligonier Township is looking for a lot of volunteers willing to give of their time, energy, talent and tools to clean up the site of the former Ligonier Beach that local officials want to convert into a premier municipal park.
Supervisors Chairman John Beaufort said Tuesday they’re hoping to have volunteers clean up the site of the former privately operated swimming pool along Route 30, east of Ligonier, on April 11, the day after two companies have committed to helping do heavy duty work at the site.
“We’re going to get moving on this project. People complain about how it looks, but we haven’t been able to get down there,” Beaufort said, in a reference to the winter weather.
There’s trash along the site, fallen branches from storms and other debris, said Melissa Eller, president of Friends of Ligonier Beach, which raised $50,000 for a recently completed master plan of the site.
That six-phase master plan proposes to create a park featuring a splash pad, winter ice rink, an ice skating ribbon, fire pits, a pavilion and access to Loyalhanna Creek, which borders Ligonier Beach.
It proposes constructing the park over at least five years at an estimated cost of $15 million.
Township Manager Michael Strelic noted it was the seventh study of the site in the seven years the township has owned the property.
Supervisor Dan Resnic pointed out that, whatever is built at the site, the township’s insurance agent, PennPrime of Harrisburg, said it will not insure the property. That’s because it’s “98% in a flood plain,” and its policy does not cover property within a flood plain.
There were “hundreds of volunteers” who worked to clean up the site about five years ago, but Eller said that work was neglected. She said the property fell into disrepair because the former board of supervisors did not want to spend taxpayers dollars on renovating the site.
In addition to seeking grants and funding from other sources, the township will have to have “skin in the game” in terms of local money to convert the site into a park, Eller said.
“The supervisors have to be full steam ahead,” Eller said.
Those seeking information about the April 11 volunteer effort can visit The Friends of Ligonier Beach Facebook page, Eller said.
Ligonier Country Market
In the ongoing saga of Ligonier Country Market seeking a new home for its popular farmers markets for about 20 Saturdays, Strelic said the market director, Kelly Svesnik, had applied for a special events permit about 1½ weeks ago to hold the market at a field owned by the Waterford Volunteer Fire Department.
To obtain the special events permit, the market will have to file an emergency plan, a traffic control plan and plans for portable toilets, Strelic said.
Svesnik could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.
The township this year had granted the country market a special events permit to hold the farmers market at its traditional site, a field owned by the Loyalhanna Watershed Association off West Main Street. But the watershed association had terminated its lease, and the country market and the watershed organization could not reach an agreement on use of that property.
The country market’s application for the special events permit will not be considered by the supervisors unless the board decides to approve a request from the Waterford Volunteer Fire Department.
The fire department wants rezone its 26-acre parcel from an agricultural classification — which prohibits vendors from selling products — to a neighborhood commercial designation, which would allow a farmer’s market at that site.
The supervisors have scheduled a public hearing for 6:30 p.m. April 14, followed by a monthly meeting in which the township officials could consider the request.
Township Solicitor Daniel Hudock said he is awaiting a ruling from the Pennsylvania Ethics Commission on whether two of the five township supervisors — Paul Knupp and Beaufort — are permitted to vote on any matter regarding the Waterford Volunteer Fire Department.
Both men are members of Ligonier Township fire departments, and Beaufort’s brother is the chief at Waterford.
The remaining three supervisors previously voted to conduct the public hearing on the rezoning request.